Tag Archives: Issues

DEL GALLO TAX POLICY 1 – Del Gallo favors become the 34th state to implement a graduated income tax with heavy taxes on the very wealthy far and above 5.10%, especially on incomes above $500,000 per year. 2 – Del Gallo generally supports progressive taxes (or also called “graduated” taxes), does not believe flat tax rates are fair (the same percentage on all income earned), and is generally highly disinclined to support regressive taxes and/or user fees except in some highly select circumstances. Under regressive tax schemes (such as, but not limited to flat “user fees”), the poor actually pay Read more…

Women should not get paid less for the same work as men. Fortunately in Massachusetts, they passed a law a long time ago outlawing unequal pay. In Massachusetts, under the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act, it is against the law to pay people of different genders different wages for the same work. There is only one exception. The only exception is that you can legally pay people of different genders different wages if the other person has more seniority. If an employer pays two people of different genders but similar seniority different salaries for the same work, the employer automatically loses. Read more…

According to “Raise Up Massachusetts”: Why Paid Family and Medical Leave Matters Emergencies arise for all of us at some point, but 1.2 million Massachusetts families risk losing their jobs if they take time off work to take care of a family medical emergency or after the birth of a child. Many workers who are eligible for leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act can’t afford to take unpaid time off work in an emergency. They’re often left having to choose between taking care of a child they love or the job that puts food on the table. Read more…

America is not a poor country. Nor is Massachusetts a poor state. Rather, when we are surrounded by our friends and neighbors who are barely keeping their heads above water, it creates the illusion of scarcity. It is just that, an illusion. The reality is that we actually live in one of the wealthiest, abundant countries in world history. The belief in this reality is one of the most fundamental premises of the Bernie Sanders revolution—that the rich are becoming richer, and the middleclass is joining the ranks of the poor in a period of unprecedented superabundance. Central to this Read more…

Rinaldo Del Gallo supports public funded, universally available pre-kindergarten education. It would not be legally mandatory, but would be available for all families that want it. These programs are useful tools in making sure that children are reading for school as they advance in age. It allows children to interact in age-appropriate settings in a teacher environment, and learn very basic skills such as name recognition of colors and animals. It is the beginning of learning how to think and learn. Currently, not all towns offer public pre-school. You may click on the link below to see which Massachusetts have Read more…

Tuition Free, Debt Free. SUMMARY: Rinaldo Del Gallo believes that our state colleges and universities should be tuition free and debt free. The fees that are often imposed in lieu of tuition also ought to be eliminated. This should be paid for by taxes on the super-rich. Not everyone knows it, but college used to be relatively affordable in America. In the 60’s and 70’s, state tuition was very low. The GI bill brought low cost, if not free, education to an entire generation of troops returning home. Free education creates an opportunity for the poor to enter the middleclass, Read more…

Opioid, Drug, and Alcohol Policy We should start off with what Rinaldo Del Gallo will not do. As a Bernie Sanders progressive, he will not spend money on more prisons. Instead of mass imprisonment, Del Gallo believes we should focus on treatment of those addicted to opioids, alcohol, or other drugs. This requires making it a budget priority. Del Gallo supports drug courts, but would implement them very carefully. Del Gallo supports implementing the LEAD (Law Enforcement Assistance Diversion) program utilized in Seattle which focuses on intervention and not arrest. Del Gallo believes in “Housing First,” which is a program Read more…